The Possibilities of Forever
by Sir Alwick
Summary: ONE SHOT: Beast Boy's feeling unsure about his future, so Raven elects to show him just what he's really capable of. Friendship/Slight Romance


_**A/N:** Title page by Shadower-Sam._

(xxxxxx)

It was a cool day in mid September. The summer heat had gone and the sobering chill of autumn had only just begun to take its place. Raven was on her way to the common room for some tea when she walked in to find him sitting there on the couch, his back to her with his shoulders slumped. The TV was on but he didn't seem to notice. His head was down and though she couldn't see his face, she could feel his sadness, heavy and wet, radiating off of him as strong and steady as a heat lamp. Such a powerful sensation held her for a moment as she stood in the doorway and watched him, almost waiting for him to acknowledge her somehow. When he didn't, she turned and headed for the kitchen. Starting the water boiling, she did her best to ignore the waves of depression lapping against the outer limits of her mind, but despite her best efforts, more and more she was finding she couldn't. Turning away from the stove she faced the boy's direction once more. She was in the middle of pondering her approach when the common room doors suddenly swished open and in thumped Cyborg. Boasting a new copy of the latest FPS he enthusiastically called to Beast Boy. Beast Boy turned. There was a twang of dull surprise and then a sudden swelling of joy. A wide smile leapt to the green boy's cheeks and his sadness all but completely disappeared. The two sat on the couch, the Game Station started up and gunfire and explosions filled the room, leaving Raven to roll her eyes and wonder why she even worried in the first place. Beast Boy had the attention span of a gnat. Clearly whatever was bothering him had been forgotten. She finished making her tea and left without giving the matter a second thought.

It was only a day or so later, however, that the feeling returned. Raven was in her room. Hovering in the air with her legs crossed, she had finished her daily readings and was just about to begin her mediation. She had only just started her breathing exercises when suddenly a wave of sadness swept over her. Unprepared for such a powerful sensation she wobbled in the air. Clutching her chest, she put her feet to the ground, did her best to stable herself. She heard the sound of footsteps outside her door. The feeling intensified as they got closer then slowly faded. Her curiosity peeked she went to the door. Sliding it part way open she peeked out to see none other than Beast Boy, head down and hands in his pockets, walking down the hallway. His footsteps slow and meandering, he failed to notice her as he made his way towards his bedroom.

Closing her door, Raven brought a contemplative hand to her chin. Once again she felt compelled to intervene, but remembering the scene with Cyborg in the common room, decided against it.

(xxxxxx)

The two weeks that followed were fairly busy. The team was averaging about one to three emergency calls a day. This did not, however, stop Robin from keeping them to their standard training regiment. It was Friday afternoon: time for their weekly run on the obstacle course. Beast Boy was up, and as he ran the course, the others watched from the sidelines. No one watched with more interest or intensity than Robin, and so far he was not happy with the young changeling's performance. With stop watch in hand he kept a close eye on the green teen as he navigated the course. "Come on, Beast Boy, pick up the pace," he called every so often. It was true: Beast Boy was looking rather lethargic. Despite being a kangaroo he still tripped his fair share of hurdles and even as a cheetah he was barely able to carry his feline behind over the 12 foot high wall. The conclusion of the course saw him attempt to navigate his way through a stretch of laser firing drones. He successfully dodged the first few volleys but then not even halfway through the small stretch of land he stumbled and a beam of non-lethal light pegged him in the ankle. An alarm went off and as per its intended programming the entire course shut down.

"You're dead, Beast Boy," declared Robin bluntly.

Human again and breathing heavy, the green boy scratched the back of his head. He smiled nervously and said, "Sorry. Guess I stepped when I should have pivoted."

Robin reset his stopwatch. "Go back to the start and try again."

Beast Boy's face fell and he slowly jogged back to the start of the course. Robin folded his arms in front of his chest as Beast Boy found his mark. The buzzer sounded and Beast Boy began the course anew. As the green teen started down the first straightaway Cyborg slowly joined Robin at his side.

"I just don't know," said Robin, half to himself.

"He's just having an off day," answered Cyborg.

"It's not that. It's his whole performance in general. All week, every mission he's been like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like on Monday when Gizmo pulled that jewelry heist. I warned everyone about the freeze ray and he was the only one who got hit. Then he fell behind while we were chasing Ding Dong Daddy on Tuesday. And just yesterday when we were battling the Hive Five….there was no reason why he shouldn't have beaten Mammoth."

"I guess I didn't notice."

"That's because your mind was where it should be: On your work. Beast Boy…I don't know. He just seems distracted these days. It's like his heart's not in it anymore. He hasn't said anything to you, has he? Like if anything's bothering him?"

"Not to me. He's been like regular old BB as far as I'm concerned. What about you? You try talking with him?"

"He says he's fine."

"Welllll, so he got his butt kicked a couple of times. I mean this _is_ Beast Boy we're talking about."

Robin looked out over the course. He returned his attention to Beast Boy, watched as the green teen once again bounced his way over the hurdles. "Regardless, he better start shaping up. Or for his own good…I might have to start looking into a replacement."

Cyborg's human eye went wide. "You can't be for real," he said, the disbelief evident in his voice.

Robin looked at him, telling him with his eyes that he most assuredly was.

"Look, don't get too far ahead of yourself," continued Cyborg after a moment. "B's a superball; he always bounces back. Just give him a chance. I'm sure he'll straighten out."

"Better hope so."

From her place at the back of the viewing area, Raven watched as the two young men returned their attention to the obstacle course. She silently ruminated about their conversation, then without a word made her exit.

(xxxxxx)

Beast Boy was on his way back to his bedroom. After his disastrous performance on the course he didn't bother to stick around for lunch. He just wanted to be by himself. Tapping the button on the wall by his door caused it to open. Stepping inside he closed it behind him. He sighed, rubbed his eyes and then shrieked in surprised panic as a low, gravely voice behind him suddenly said, "We need to talk."

"Dude, why are you in my room?"

Raven, hood up and obscuring her face, floated towards the young man. "What's been going on with you lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. I mean what's bothering you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's bothering me."

"Beast Boy, lying to me is an exercise in futility. You may as well just come clean."

"I really don't know-"

Beast Boy didn't get anywhere close to finishing his thought before he found his world turned upside down. Hung by his ankle by a tendril of dark energy, he stared into the glowing red eyes of Raven (all four of them) as she snarled and spat in a deep, monstrous voice, "You little dweeb, there are about a million better things that I could be doing right now than giving you a pep talk! I don't have _time_ for these pointless delays! Now open your heart to me! Open it!"

"Okay, okay, you win," babbled Beast Boy.

In a heartbeat, Raven's demeanor became calm once more. She placed Beast Boy gently into the pouch of his favorite beanbag chair then took a seat across from him on the bottom bunk of his bed. As Beast Boy held his chest and tried to slow his breathing he found the tendrils of energy returning, this time moving slowly and carrying with them a glass of soy milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"What's this?" asked Beast Boy, hesitantly.

"I've read that it helps," replied Raven matter-of-factly.

Not wanting to risk upsetting the young sorceress further, Beast Boy simply nodded and helped himself to a cookie. He took a bite and then reached for the glass.

"Now," said Raven after letting him eat for a moment, "What's bothering you?"

For a moment, Beast Boy was silent. Never before in history had a man looked so thoughtful while eating a cookie. It was clear he was looking for just the right way to begin. Finally, after taking a swig of soy milk he spoke. "Well," he began slowly, "Can I ask you something?" Raven nodded and he continued. "Now, I want your honest opinion on this. Really, don't sugarcoat it. Just tell me what you really think." Again, Raven nodded. Beast Boy took a deep breath. "Do...do I suck?"

Raven arched an eyebrow. She had to admit, she wasn't prepared for him to be so blunt. "Uhhh...what?" she asked.

"Do I suck? Like, at being a Titan?"

"I'm not sure I get what you mean."

Beast Boy sighed and took another bite of cookie. He knocked his fist gently against his forehead a few times and said, "Okay, here's the thing." He paused for a moment then continued. "So the other week I was watching TV and this ad comes on for the circus and...You remember a while back how Starfire fell through that wormhole thing-y chasing after Warp and when she came back she told us all about how she went to the future and met our future selves?"

"I remember."

"Yeah, well, you remember I was this fat, bald coward hiding in a cage in some traveling freak show. Just a total loser with nothing to live for."

"Things didn't exactly turn out well for any of us."

"Yeah, I know. We all got super depressed after Star disappeared and we all sorta walled ourselves up but…I mean…"

"What?"

"I guess I've just been thinking lately and…maybe that future version of me…maybe that's what's really going to happen. Maybe I'm still that guy twenty years from now."

"Why would you think _that_?"

"Well, 'cause in Starfire's story I was the only one that just kinda failed. She said that I went off on my own, remember? She said that I said that I left to do the whole solo hero thing. Obviously I wanted to move on, make something better of myself. Of course, what happens the moment I try to do that? Duh, I get my cute little green butt kicked. Meanwhile Robin on the other hand does the exact same thing, but of course he becomes super cool awesome badass Nightwing guy with the muscles and the mad skills and...the hair."

"I think you're making too big a deal of this."

"Am I? come on, Rave. You know as well as I do I'm the weak link on the team. Oh there goes Beast Boy getting his beast butt stomped just like always. Ha ha ha. About the only laughs I ever get are when I fall on my face. And I try. It might not always seem like I do, but I do. I _really_ try to do my best, hone my skills and give every battle all I got...but it's never enough. No matter what, it always feels like I'm just playing catch up to the rest of you. Cyborg's already solved his power cell problem, you've been spending way more time outside your room than ever before, and apparently Robin's going to keep being awesome no matter what happens. So where does that leave me? Still gonna go bald probably. Still gonna get fat too. Now I'm thinking: What's the point in trying anymore? All I have to look forward to is the eventual day you all outgrow me, leave me behind to go on with your awesome lives. I mean I might as well just go find that cage right now."

For a long time Raven said nothing; she simply sat there, looking at the boy in front of her. Finally, she stood. "Wait here," she said. "Don't move." A portal opened beneath her feet and down she went, disappearing from sight. Ten minutes later she reemerged, a book in one hand and a wide lipped silver chalice in the other.

"Here," she said, holding out the chalice to Beast Boy. "Drink this."

"What is it?" asked the boy, eyeing the container suspiciously. The liquid inside was an odd, greenish color and the aroma it gave off was something strong like vinegar.

"It's for drinking," replied Raven, flatly.

Beast Boy's lips pursed as he looked at the strange liquid. Raven sighed. A hand of dark energy appeared over Beast Boy's face and with two fingers it pinched his nostrils shut. With his oxygen supply cut off, the green boy's mouth fell open and as soon as it did, down his throat the strange liquid went. Beast Boy coughed and sputtered. He made a face like he just put his tongue to some sweaty gym shorts. "Gyahhhh, what was that?" he croaked.

"Something to help you," replied Raven, flipping through a few pages in her book.

"Did you drug me?"

"Yes, kind of."

"You drugged me?"

"It's harmless, I assure you. I needed something that would clear your mind and make you more receptive. Without it everything would just end up looking like a bunch of swirling lights and colors. Like someone put a Jackson Pollock painting in a blender. Guided meditation works too, but somehow I didn't think you'd be up for that."

"Oh yeah, pouring goof juice down my throat is much better." Beast Boy stopped for a moment as realization hit. "Hey, waitaminute. What's all this for anyway?"

"When Starfire went to the future she met future versions of us, but they were only ever one possible outcome."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The past was wrong and the future can be changed. She told us all that."

"Yes, but there's more to it than that. Time travel is a vastly imprecise science. Warp's technology was amazing, but very limited. It could only process and make predictions for one version of events and it couldn't take into account mostly immeasurable forces such as probability and chance. And Warp, with all his historical knowledge, failed to grasp the true extent of reality itself."

"Uhhh…Raven, you're kinda scaring me. What exactly does all this mean?"

"You're upset because you think there's still a chance that the version of you Starfire met in the future will be the you twenty years from now. I'm telling you that she found only one possible version of the team out of veritable thousands, possibly millions. The you from the future may still exist somewhere, but he was only ever one possible outcome. There are others, and I'm going to show them to you."

"I'm not so sure about this."

"Do you trust me?"

"I…" Beast Boy looked into Raven's eyes. They may have had their issues, and he may have been more than a little scared of her at times, but in the end she'd always been there for him, helping him to his feet when he got knocked down. Did he trust her? With a small smile he answered, "Yeah, Raven. I trust you."

The tiniest of smiles formed on Raven's lips as she nodded and said, "Then give me your hand."

He did as he was told. Raven took hold of his wrist and placed her palm over his and the two looked softly at one another.

"Ow, what the-?" Pulling his hand back, Beast Boy found a small pin prick of blood on the tip of his index finger. He looked to Raven who held what looked like a tiny ornately decorated syringe between her thumb and index finger. "Raaaveeeen…?" he whined.

"Sorry," she answered. "I needed some blood and I know how you feel about needles."

Beast Boy stuck his wounded digit in his mouth. "Definitely testing the whole trust thing, Rave," he grumbled.

"Be right back." Taking the empty chalice Raven swiftly disappeared through one portal then almost instantaneously reappeared through another. When she did she carried with her what looked like a large wooden serving bowl and a handful of long neck bottles containing an assortment brightly colored powders, reds and blues and purples.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she emptied the bottles one by one into the bowl, ending with a squirt of Beast Boy's blood from the tiny vial. "Sit," she commanded. Beast Boy did as he was told, taking a seat across from her. She placed the bowl between them. Waving her hand over it a few times, she recited a handful of magic words, ending with her patented 'Azerath Metrion Zinthos, and all at once the powders in the bowl were vaporized. A sweet smelling smoke filled the room. "Breath," commanded Raven in an oddly soothing voice. "Breath deep and see the universe as it truly is."

Beast Boy sat and watched as the smoke from the bowl slowly consumed the room. The thick smoke swallowed everything and in a matter of seconds Raven too vanished into the shroud.

"Uh, getting a little hard to see in here," said Beast Boy somewhat nervously. He waited for a response from Raven but received none. "Raven?" he called. "Raven, you there?" Still nothing. "I'm kinda freaking out now. What's going on?" He got to his feet. Smoke still consumed his senses. Every way he looked he could see nothing but the dull grey shroud. Feeling apprehensive, he thought a light might help. Remembering there was one by his bed he began feeling his way towards the back of the room. He'd only taken a few steps when he realized something was off. He was too far. His room wasn't this big. He couldn't find his desk or his dresser or any of the things that he knew were supposed to be there. As he continued his blind progression the smoke began to slowly dissipate and then all at once it was gone. With his sight back, Beast Boy's mouth dropped as he took in his new surroundings. The green boy found himself in the middle of a deep, black void, stretching on for miles in any given direction. Below his feet was nothing but black, and yet they held firm as though on solid land. He chanced a look directly above him and what he saw was breathtaking. It was a veritable sphere of light. Like a small planet it hovered over him. Upon closer inspection it revealed itself not to be a solid mass but rather an amalgam made up of hundreds, maybe thousands, of tiny multicolored orbs all swirling and flashing and racing about. Their movement gave the sphere a kind of life. It almost seemed to breath as the orbs continued their orchestrated pattern, blue moving over red, green moving over purple, aqua moving over yellow and so on and so forth.

"It's quite a lot to take in isn't it?"

Turning Beast Boy found Raven, floating in the black beside him. He chuckled nervously. "What? Are you kidding?" he said. "I do stuff like this all the time. But uh, what is this thing…exactly?"

"It's you. Or rather it represents you. Every conscious being is a cosmos unto themselves. A galaxy of possibilities. What you're seeing is the full extent of your life. All the different versions of yourself from across a near infinite number of dimensions."

Beast Boy breathed a nervous chuckle. "Cool," he said.

"Yes. Cool," answered Raven dryly. "Are you ready to get started?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright then." Raven began moving towards the sphere.

"Wait," called Beast Boy. "We're going inside that thing?"

"Of course."

"But. I mean-"

"Beast Boy." She looked at him expectantly.

Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. He looked up at the sphere then down at his feet then up again. He took a deep breath and then without even really knowing he could he began to levitate. Slowly he made his way though the black towards Raven and the sphere. He flew up alongside her and then together the two penetrated the swirling mass.

(xxxxxx)

All at once Beast Boy's head was awash with sights and sounds. Squinting hard, pressing his palms against his ears he struggled to block it out, but to no avail. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he screamed through his teeth, but still nothing could stop the chaos. And then somehow over all the mess came Raven's voice.

"Relax," it said. "Breath. Just focus on the sound of my voice. Breath."

Beast Boy, eyes still shut and hands still pressed against his twitching ears, did as he was told. He breathed. He breathed long and deep and slowly but surely the noise faded and the light pressing against his eyes began to retreat. Seconds later it was calm once more. Cautiously he took his hands from his ears. His eyes cracked open and once more he beheld a spectacular sight. All around him floating globes of light circled in a slow and steady succession. Like TV screens each one carried with it an image, and looking closer Beast Boy found that he was the star of every show.

"Woah," he said, once again at a loss for words.

"What you see here is only a fraction," came Raven as she stepped up beside him. "Your mind can only take in so much at a time, but this should be enough to prove my point."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"I've had an…interest in transdimensional activity for a long time. Come on." Raven floated her way towards one of the spheres. Beast Boy followed.

On the curved surface glowed a slightly older looking Beast Boy. He was bare chested and his hair was long, almost down to his back. Perched in the crook of a large tree he looked out over a lush jungle canopy. His gaze was fierce and confident. It said he was strong, willing and able to deal with any attack.

"Beast Boy #231," said Raven plainly. "This version of you never left Africa. Making his home in the wild he protects animals from poachers as well as local tribes from government oppression. The people that live in these parts revere him as an animal spirit."

"Cool," remarked Beast Boy with a smile.

Taking him by the hand she guided him to another screen. This version of him wore a snazzy purple and white uniform and was in the midst of tangling with a slightly more ferocious looking version of the super intelligent ape Mallah.

"Beast Boy #524," said Raven. "This version returns to the Doom Patrol after turning 20. He renames himself Animal Man and can use the abilities of several different animals at the same time.

As if to illustrate her point, the green man on the screen quickly transformed into a pack of wolves right before their eyes.

"Dude, he used the self-replicating ability of an amoeba. That's awesome!"

Beast Boy didn't bother waiting for Raven to chose the next screen. Going off on his own he floated up to an orb showing a Beast Boy on the main deck of what looked like a high tech space ship. "Ooh ooh, what about this one," he called, pressing his face against the orb like a kid peering through a toy store window. "Do I become some sort of intergalactic bounty hunter?"

Grabbing him by the ear, Raven gently eased him back away from the sphere. "Actually Beast Boy #481 gives up being a superhero entirely to go into acting. He ends up enjoying a decent amount of success as a supporting player on a popular science fiction TV show."

"Aw, awesome, I always wanted to be a TV star. This…this is amazing. But do I always leave the Titans?"

"Not always," answered Raven. With a wave of her hand a selection of orbs floated towards her. Each one held a team of brightly colored teenagers. "From what I can tell, in this batch of possibilities alone, there are hundreds of versions of you that still meet the Titans and stay at the tower well into adulthood and beyond."

They continued on like that for several minutes more. Beast Boy going from orb to orb with Raven in tow, providing a brief description for each one. Every new version seemed to bring something new to the table. A new look, a new tidbit of backstory, sometimes even a new power. There were versions of him that were different colors; versions that were taller, shorter, more serious, less serious. There were Beast Boys and Garfields. There were Changelings and Animal Men and even a handful of Beast Girls and Beast Women. Some stayed on teams and some went off on their own. There were success stories and, yes, even some failures. And that was okay, because no matter how different each version of him was they were still him. Within each one he felt this great connection. He felt the same strength, the same passion driving each one forward. To help others, to make them laugh, to improve their lives.

"You see, Beast Boy?" said Raven. "The possibilities for what you are to become are endless. The same way it is for all of us. I can't say for certain the man you'll be in twenty years, but looking at everything here I know you're capable of being far more than just a freak in a cage."

Beast Boy nodded. He gave a small smile and said, "I think I see what you mean." Thinking for a moment he turned and faced the empath. "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why did you bring me here? I mean, why go through all this trouble?"

Raven's head lowered slightly, just enough to shield her eyes beneath her hood. "Because…you're my friend. I don't want you off in a cage. I want you at the tower with the rest of us."

Beast Boy smiled. "Thanks Raven," he said.

Though the hooded girl's eyes were hidden, Beast Boy's remained transfixed on her. Looking at her he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of affection. She really cared about him. Even as the creeping smoke from before returned, even as his vision faded he kept his eyes on the girl beside him, watching as the smoke slowly swallowed her.

Beast Boy's eyes fluttered. Shaking his head, looking from side to side, he found himself once again back in his room, sitting cross-legged on the floor. The substance in the bowl was now all but spent with only a tiny trail of smoke rising up. Raven was gone and after a moment a portal opened up beneath the bowl and it quickly slid through.

(xxxxxx)

With Beast Boy's confidence restored, Raven found herself back in her room. She stood at her shelf, looking at her supply of magical ingredients. Grabbing a few items she poured them into a bowl. Using her powers she nipped the tip of her finger with a jagged black tendril, squeezed out a few drops into the bowl then took a seat in the air. The bowl hovering in front of her, she recited the spell. Smoke filled the room and she found herself at the base of her inner cosmos. Levitating upwards she entered.

Nothing had changed since last time. Inside, her cosmos was a sea of orange and black and red. She found almost nothing but chaos, orb after orb of fire and death and destruction. She saw devastated cities and scorched Earth. Each vision was punctuated by the sight of a dilapidated t-shaped building standing on the desiccated shore of a dead ocean. With wave after wave of her hand she cycled through each orb. Where there wasn't fire she found lonely graves, at best memorials of a life lost; at worst unmarked plots whose locations had long since been forgotten. Then a splash of light caught her attention. She stayed her hand and looked to the screen in front of her. She saw a violet haired young woman sitting beneath a tree in the middle of a green and vibrant city park. Children ran and played and laughed. There were games of catch and tag. And there sitting beside her she saw a green man with his head on her shoulder, sleeping soundly as she quietly read her book. They both were smiling.

Bringing her knees up to her chest, Raven sat there hovering, and simply watched and waited for the spell to wear off. It was only one of a near infinite number of possibilities. But just knowing that it was a possibility gave her hope.

_**A/N:** To see a great comic adaptation of this story check out Shadower-Sam's deviantart page at "samsolariusleo."_


End file.
